Rod-rotating tee.



L. T. GAY.

ROD ROTATING TEE.

APPLICATION men JULY l. 1916.

Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

- 1,,Q21A3m mini W xii/ y LLOYD T. GAY, F TAFT, CALIFORNIA.

BGD-ROTATING TEE.

Application filed July 1, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

lie it known that l, LLUYD T. GAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Taft, in the county of Kern and State of California, have invented a new and useful Rod- Rotating Tee, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the art of pumping oil. In that art a walking beam is employed, this walking beam actuating a pump located near the bottom of the well through a series of pump rods.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a tee by which the pump rods may be secured to the walking beam in such a manner that the pump rods and the various parts connected thereto are slowly rotated as the pump rods are reciprocated. lhis slow rotation produces the following new and useful results:

First,lt transmits thewear on the pump rods and rod connection equally throughout the circumference thereof. Under the present system of pumping the wells are often not strictly vertical, and the rods and connections rub on the tubing. Where the rods remain in substantially the same angular relation with the well at all times, they wear upon one side or the other, and this wear soon causes them to break.

Sccond,lt prevents the polish rod which passes through a stufiing box at the top of the well from becoming corrugated due to accumulations of sand in the stuffing box.

Third,-It assists in keeping the stufling box about the polish rod tight, due to the absence of corrugation in the rod.

Fourth-It prevents the wearing of deep grooves of the pump plunger in the bottom of the well, due to accumulations of sand as the pump plunger is constantly turn-ed in the barrel and consequently uniform wear is produced thereon.

Fz'fth,-As the pump rods are rotated in a right hand direction, it prevents the rod and plunger connections from unscrewing while in actual operation in the well.

Simth,1t increases the life of the tubing in which the pump rods are reciprocated, due to the fact that the rods are evenly worn, and no sharp corners are formed thereon to act as cutting tools against the string of pipe.

My invention is adapted to any type of rod in use at the present time, and may be used. on any form of beam working on any Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

Serial No. 107,483.

stroke. It moreover is so constructed that even if the rotating mechanism becomes defective the tee will still serve to support the rods.

Further objects and advantages will be made evident hereinafter.

Referring to the drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only Figure 1 is a perspective view showing my invention with the parts separated to better illustrate the internal structure.

Fig. 2 is a cross section through one end of a walking beam with the invention applied thereto.

l ig. 3 is a cross section taken on a section represented by the line .r"m of Fig. 2.

Fig. 1 is an application figure showing how the apparatus is secured in the well.

In the form of the invention shown in the drawings, a walking beam 11 is operated from a crank 12 through a connection rod 13, this walking beam extending out over the center of the well tubing 14L which is supported in a casing head 15 from the floor 16 of a derrick 17. The tubing 1% extends up and connects into a stufiing box 18, this stuffing box being arranged around the polish rod 19 which is in turn connected to the pump rods of the well, and oil bein g carried off through a discharge pipe 20 from below the stufliiig box. The polish rod. 19 is secured to a grip 21, the parts 11 to 21 being standard in the art of pumping oil wells and forming no part of the present invention.

Secured by any convenient means to the grip 21 isa grip pipe 22, this grip pipe being provided with a central opening into which the upper end of the polish rod may extend. The pipe 22 is provided with a head 23 having a series of equally spaced ratchet teeth 24l'formed on the lower surface thereof. The pipe 22 passes through a base plate 25, this base plate being provided with slots 26 through which bolts 27 pass, these bolts being used to secure the plate to the walking beam 11. Secured in the countersunk opening 28 in the bottom of the plate 25 are nuts 29, these nuts being threaded on a U-bolt 30 which is arched over the plate 25. Nuts 31 serve to clamp a cap 32 over a central opening 33 in the plate 25 through which the pipe 22 passes. Arranged in a recess in the top of the opening 33 are two series of ratchet teeth 34 and 35, these teeth having the same pitch as the ratchet teeth 24, but one series of teeth being moved around the circumfer ence of the recess by a distance equal to onehalf'the distance between teeth, so that when the ratchet teeth 24 are registering exactly with the ratchet teeth 34 they are one-half space off from registering with the ratchet teeth 35.

The method of operation ofthe invention is as follows:

The parts being assembled as shown, the walking. beam 11 is reciprocated, moving up and down and pulling the pipe 22 alternately to one side or the other of'the vertical position' as illustrated by the full and dotted lines in Fig. 3. When the walking beam is at one extreme of itsstroke the ratchet teeth 24 register fully with the ratchet teeth 34, being lifted from the ratchet teeth 35 as shown in full lines in Fig. 3. The ratchet teeth 35. are at this time midway between the ratchet teeth 24. As the walking beam 11 moves to its other extreme position the pipe 22 moves from the full line position to the dotted line position as shown in Fig. 3, and

the weight of the rods is thrown on the ratchet teeth 35', the ratchet teeth 24 sliding on the teeth 35 through a distance equal to one-half the space of the ratchet until they are firmly seated therein. Upon the next oscillation of the walking beam the weight of the rods is thrown on the ratchet teeth 34, and the pipe 22 is rotated through a further distance equal to one-half the angular space i of the ratchet teeth 24. It will thus be seen 7 tinuing as long as the beam is oscillated, and

tending to turn the polish rod 19 and the pump rods connected thereto, as well as the pump plunger which is at the lower end of I the pump rods, so that the various new and plished.

The cap 32 is provided for the purpose of keeping dust and dirt out of the ratchet teeth,

7 and for assisting in retaining 'a certain amount. of lubricant, which is applied thereto. 1

In practice I find it advisable to change the relative-spacing of the ratchet teeth 34 and 35 in such a manner that there is an unequal rotation of the pipe 22 on the up and on the down stroke than upon the up stroke. This is, however, an obvious mechanical variation of my invention.

It should be noted that in no case will my invention twist 011' a string of rods. If for any reason the rods are too tight to turn readily, they will not fall free, thus giving the ratchet support a chance to raise just. enough to allow the teeth to drop back in the same position each time, and as soon as they are free enough to rotate they will drop free, or in other words, they will rotate only when they are free.

While I have shown my invention rigidly secured to a. pump rod by means of the bolts 27, any other of the various well known means for attaching a tee to a beam may be substituted therefor without departing from the spirit of my invention. The U-bolt 30 may be used for attaching the derrick hook to the string of rods for the purpose of lifting same and making repairs.

I claim as my invention 1. In an oil well pumping mechanism, a walking beam, means for oscillating said beam, at base plate secured to said beam, said base plate having a central opening therein, a grip pipe extending through said opening, a head formed on said grip pipe, a series of equally spaced movable ratchet teeth formed on the under side of said head, and two series of stationary ratchet teeth formed on said base plate about said central opening in a position to engage said movable ratchet teeth, one of said series of stationary ratchet teeth being offset with relation to the other so that the teeth of the two series alternately engage said movable ratchet teeth as said beam is oscillated.

2. In an oil well pumping mechanism; a walking beam; means for oscillating said beam; a base plate adapted to be secured to said beam and having a central opening therein; a grip pipe extending through said opening; a head formed on said grip pipe; series of ratchet teeth formed on the under side of said head; and means on said base plate for-cooperating with said ratchet teeth to rotate said head as said grip pipe oscillates in said base plate.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Taft, California, this 23rd day of June, 1916.

LLOYD T. GAY.

copies of this patent may be obtainedfor five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D; C. 

